Jacques Cavendish
| age = 20 | gender = Male | height = 180 cm (5'11") | weight = 73 kg (160 lbs) | hair color = Red | eye color = Hazel | unique trait = | sign = | bloodtype = O+ | affiliation = Twelve Cenz Stamp Revolution | previous affiliation = | occupation = Student | previous occupation = | team = | previous team = | partner = Hans Fuhler | previous partner = | base of operations = | education = Private boarding school, university | marital status = Single | goal = Discovering the exact metaphysical medium and/or process that allows transmutation to occur | family = William Cavendish (adoptive father) | status = Active | skill = Accelerated and reactive (acid-based) transmutation | weapons = Salt, sulfur, mercury | alchemy = Chemical }} '''Jacques Cavendish', often simply referred to as “Cavendish” by everyone except his closest associates, is a current student at and a good friend of Hans Fuhler. He is studying for a degree in chemistry and : subjects that greatly interest him. Even though he is still an undergraduate, he is considered to be a scientific prodigy amongst academic circles because of his innovative research, and is a talented alchemist in his own right. Jacques is the adopted son of the now retired Colonel William Cavendish, an esteemed war hero. Despite this fact, he is open in expressing disgust for the Amestrian military and its methods. Nonetheless, while his devil-may-care attitude and frank disregard for others may suggest that he is rather short-sighted, he has kept a wary eye on the state of affairs in the world. Ever opportunistic, with the current chaos caused by the Twelve Cenz Stamp Revolution, Jacques seeks for the best means to take advantage of a situation for his own personal benefit, holding his alliances loosely. Appearance Standing a bit above average in height, Jacques has a lithe build and dashing good looks—and he knows it. Having been blessed with all the right genes, his facial features, while delicate, are still clearly masculine, as he has slender eyebrows, a refined, slightly long nose, and a square-cut jaw. Jacques has a light complexion, smooth skin and coppery red hair that is almost auburn in hue. He keeps his hair short, with his bangs swept back above his ears except for a part that falls over the left side of his forehead. He chose the style because he thinks it conveys a certain nonchalance, which reflects his carefree attitude. In reality, Jacques puts a lot of attention into maintaining his appearance, but the last thing he wants is to be seen as “fussy” or vain. As such, he has worked hard to achieve an image of “effortlessness,” which is further reinforced by his casual bearing and permanently relaxed posture. Despite his long-limbed athlete’s frame, Jacques is not one for exercise. He has only kept in shape because of his father, who, convinced that he might meet his end in a dark alleyway somewhere, has taken great pains to instruct him in self-defense and hand-to-hand combat. This instruction typically came in the form of random attacks at random and inopportune times, but as a result he is stronger than he looks. Jacques accentuates his naturally lean build with form-fitting shirts, breezy high-collared jackets, and tight, crisp-edged trousers. Having a superior taste in fashion, he immaculately combines dark and light, leather and linen, in perfect balance that comes across as completely offhand, as though he happened to stumble out of a men’s catalogue. He prefers expensive shoe labels and owns a variety of styles, including dress shoes, oxfords, monks, and derbies. He is also an aficionado of accessories such as suspenders, scarves, belts, and spats. The items he tends to avoid are hats and ties, as he hates feeling “tied down” and is too proud of his hairstyle to wear a cap. Finally, Jacques typically wears cologne in order to mask the scent of tobacco, as he is often seen lounging with a cigarette in his hand. Personality Jacques is a vibrant individual who is as flashy as his windswept red hair. Practically radiating confidence and charisma, he possesses a keen flair for the dramatic that is only offset by his inherently laid-back demeanor. Possessing a sanguine temperament, he is lively, carefree, and a lover of adventure. Fortunately, his straight-forward, intellectual nature moderates his appetite for pleasure, and while cigarettes are his vice of choice, he does not easily form addictions. His passion for novelty, coupled with his intelligence and vision, are what have allowed him to succeed as an alchemist. That said, while his tolerance for risk is high, he is poor at tolerating boredom and must constantly seek variety and intellectual stimulation. As such, Jacques is often controversial merely for the sake of being controversial. Possessing an impulsive streak, Jacques often goes too far in an attempt to stir up excitement. However, he very rarely allows this boundless energy and affinity for excitement to be seen as, once again, he plays everything off with an unconcern that borders on the blasé. Characterized by an inherent nonchalance and a permanent half-smirk in the corner of his mouth, Jacques is a savvy conversationalist who, above all, relishes trading insults and engaging in other forms of wordplay. His dry wit, frank disregard for the views of others, and refusal to take anything personally comes across as insensitive at best, egocentric or even savage at worst, but it has allowed him to build an impenetrable, suave veneer over his composure. In other words, even in risky or difficult situations, it is very difficult if not impossible to shake him, as he will brush off lightly all but the most serious of personal threats to his person. Nonetheless, his casual nature should not be confused with carelessness, as Jacques has highly refined tastes, with a great appreciation of quality. This applies to nearly anything—fashion, food, music, alcohol, tobacco, and romantic partners. A budding womanizer, Jacques is a bit of an opportunist and won’t miss the chance to try his luck with “high quality goods,” even though he has no intention to commit to a relationship for any length of time. Somewhat in contrast to his adherence to quality, Jacques despises hard work, and while he is highly ambitious, his sense of drive is tempered with his pragmatic, “most for least effort” mentality. While he might enjoy plotting things out, scheming, and toying with various possibilities, this is mainly a hypothetical activity. If something takes actual grunt work, he’ll shy away, as he never goes out of his way to get what he wants, instead keeping his options open and seeking an easier way of achieving the same thing. He’s committed to self-improvement and seeking out knowledge, but he tends to be disorganized, absorbing random facts like a sponge. If he’s bored with a subject, he won’t put effort into it. Thus, his low marks in school in subjects such as politics and diplomacy do not reflect his true level of intelligence. Nonetheless, when he does finally commit to something he’s passionate about, such as his chemical research, he isn’t satisfied with doing things half-way. Thus, while his disorganization and procrastination may suggest otherwise, Jacques is actually a perfectionist when it comes to his work, and will only accept the highest level of quality in his research, investigating various possibilities, avidly refining them, and exploring different processes to discover how to best achieve a desired result. During his times in the lab, Jacques’ personality switches almost comically, as he becomes strictly no-nonsense, refusing even conversation as he focuses completely on the task at hand. Despite his outgoing charm and charisma, Jacques is emotionally aloof, and does not make for a good companion. He is unable to empathize with others, and his quarrelsome nature burns many bridges as he tramples through others’ thresholds for having their beliefs questioned and their feelings utterly disregarded. Furthermore, he is not above taking advantage of someone else’s misfortune, and he is highly skilled at both lying and tearing down someone's sense of self-esteem. Having developed the ability to lie, he is capable of complimenting someone, although he very rarely means what he says, and his silver-tongue should be taken as pure flattery. Ethically shallow and emotionally insensitive, Jacques nonetheless recognizes immediately when he or someone else is being led-on. As such, he claims that religion was invented as a sedative, and that instead of looking for practical means to solve their problems, the unthinking masses were content to look to the heavens and cast the blame on an invented construct such as "God." It should be noted that he thinks the Gate is a hoax as well, and prefers to focus on the purely scientific side of alchemy. Jacques also hates the military for the alleged reason of them “brainwashing” society and restricting his research, but in reality his distaste is derived from the pain of his past, as it was the military that robbed him of his childhood and his natural parents, and he’s held a grudge ever since. Thus, it was easy for him to cast the blame on the entire government, even though he knows very well that he’s only using it as an excuse to stand out from the crowd. Relationships *William Cavendish *Hans Fuhler *Ella Stone *Jun Lang *Meisner Bosch History Equipment *Mercury (liquid) *Matches (phosphorus, sulfur, and potassium chlorate) *Packets of salt *Pencil (lead and graphite/carbon) *Coins (copper, silver, and gold) *Metal flask containing water *Chalk (limestone calcite/carbonate) Abilities As a scientist, Jacques specializes chemical reactions, and utilizes his technical and scientific knowledge in order to enhance and improve his transmutations as an Alchemist. When it comes to his research, he is somewhat obsessed with discovering the nature and quantity for the energy necessary for transmutation, which he suspects is some form of a hydrogen substrate and has coined "incorporeal aether." Convinced that there is nothing magical about alchemy, he is thus trying to pin down the exact mechanism for transmutation, and spends long hours in the lab experimenting with various formulas and working out mathematical equations. His experiments often border on the eccentric, and while he has met with little success in regards to his research, he has come up with several ways to form complex chemical reactions using the most common ingredients. Unlike elemental alchemists, who typically only hold one emphasis, Jacques specializes in the three essential principles of salt, sulfur, and mercury, using quantities of all three substances in his chemical transmutations. Economic (although not necessarily efficient) and resourceful, his “style” is defined by unpredictable, spur-of-the-moment transmutations, using the least amount of effort and the most basic (even slapdash) materials in order to create high-impact results. For example, he once generated a large amount of explosive nitroglycerin by transmuting glycerol soap, bacon, and a copper penny together with hydrochloric acid. He is also able to form tear gas or mustard gas on the spot by cobbling together various elements, such as salt and atmospheric hydrogen or water, and has also experimented with the composition of the transmutation circles he uses, at times drawing them with graphite, lead, or even sulfur to yield a different reaction than those drawn with chalk. That said, his arsenal is extensive, but is mostly composed of benign elements that are easily stored in his pockets. For example, one of his most commonly used weapon is a match, as match heads contain phosphorus, sulfur, and potassium chlorate. While the amount of each of these minerals is negligible, Jacques can simply transmute the entire match into the element he needs—a little goes a long way when combined with the right reactant. However, his most dangerous weapon is a small iron vial of liquid mercury, which is disguised as a fountain pen. The pen protects the mercury and allows him to easily carry a small supply with him wherever he goes. Typically he uses the mercury to dissolve other metals such as gold and silver, and while mercury itself does not react with most acids, combining it with oxidizing acids yields sulfate, nitrate, or chloride, which are necessary elements for some of his other transmutations. As he recognizes the potential risk due to its toxicity, he will sometimes intimidate adversaries by playing with the mercury in his hand, threatening to vaporize it unless they comply with his demands. In combat, Jacques specializes in acids and gases, which can be used in combustive reactions or simply to burn or asphyxiate an opponent. One typical attack is to form hydrochloric acid using the water in his flask combined with a match (for the sulfur) and a packet of salt, which can be then thrown into an opponent’s skin to burn them. The flask has a small transmutation circle engraved on the cap, which means all he needs to do before transmuting is pour in the reactants. The drawback is that using his water flask limits him to a single-use, so he typically reserves it for high-impact attacks. Otherwise, Jacques is forced to transmute normally by sketching circles for each reaction separately, as the transmutation circle for an oxidation process is drastically different than combustion, for example. In an attempt to respond more efficiently in a battle, he carries a small, pocket-sized notebook with him with several pre-drawn circles. In the middle of a fight, he only needs to turn to the right page, tear it out, and transmute, which saves him some time but is still an awkward (and comical) process, as he is oftentimes caught dodging attacks and running around whilst holding several separate pages in his teeth, frantically trying to multitask as he combines packets of salt, coins, water, and various other substances for his reactions. Plot Quotes :"I always say that the true beauty of chemistry is its hopelessly complex simplicity." Trivia *Although Jacques’ name should technically be pronounced as in French, the author originally intended for his name to have the final -s pronounced, yielding "jacks." *Jacques’ surname was chosen as both a reference to the , a British aristocratic family, and , an important experimental and theoretical chemist and physicist who is noted for the discovery of hydrogen during the 18th century. *Jacques' likes include chemistry, philosophy, beautiful gals, cigarettes, music (orchestras, street bands, etc.) and dancing, gambling, taking drives outside the city, and any kind of technology (especially automobiles). *He dislikes the military, Central University’s board of directors, impositions upon his freedom, religion, “sappy stories,” news reporters, and botched drinks *While Jacques has a reputation as a bit of a womanizer, he is allegedly bisexual. *As noted by the author, Jacques’ Myers-Brigg’s personality type is ENTP-A *While Jacques loves watching debates, he is too proud to participate in them, as he calls them “products of the system,” complaining that the participants beat the same points to death while missing the bigger picture. *Jacques is extremely proud of his hair, and is immensely bothered when other people mess with or touch it. Category:Heart of Sin